Nelson's claim Wednesday was shot down by election officials in the state who said they haven't seen any sign of interference.

Both the Florida Department of State and county election officials told the Sun-Sentinel they had received no information from Nelson about any threats to Florida's election system.

CNN's Kate Bolduan told Smith the network has reached out to Nelson for more information and has asked for an interview over his claims. She said CNN hasn't heard back.

"Are you any closer to reconciling the differences here between statements from Sen. Nelson and the Florida secretary of state's office?" Bolduan asked.

"No, I mean, it looks like Nelson has got a little bit of egg on his face, on one hand," Smith said, "because there's no evidence; he's got a lot of supervisors of elections sort of pushing back and asking for clarification. On the other hand, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) has been sounding this alarm for quite some time and pretty seriously."

Bolduan asked if Smith's "gut" tells him Nelson is mistaken or that he spoke about something real but classified.

"It sort of seems like he got ahead of his skis and maybe had gone a little far with classified information that he shouldn't have," Smith responded.

"If he turns out to be wrong, how much trouble is that for Nelson who's facing a tough re-election?" Bolduan asked.

Smith said it would give ammunition to Gov. Rick Scott (R.), who is challenging Nelson for his Senate seat, and that it "certainly doesn't help."

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/florida-reporter-nelson-little-egg-face-russian-hacking-claim/feed/0Warren Confronted at Town Hall for Calling U.S. Criminal Justice System ‘Racist From Front to Back’https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-confronted-town-hall-calling-u-s-criminal-justice-system-racist-front-back/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-confronted-town-hall-calling-u-s-criminal-justice-system-racist-front-back/#respondFri, 10 Aug 2018 16:49:25 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1038190The post Warren Confronted at Town Hall for Calling U.S. Criminal Justice System ‘Racist From Front to Back’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
]]>Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.) was confronted at a town hall Thursday for calling the U.S. criminal justice system "racist from front to back."

Warren had made that comment during a Q&A session hosted by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D., La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, at Dillard University in New Orleans.

The questioner at Warren's town hall prefaced his question as being from a "young American of color."

"Your recent comments that you made in New Orleans are just a little but concerning to me. You said the justice system is ‘racist from front to back.' I'm just concerned that your rhetoric there is inciting some of the division that you claim the president is purporting," he said.

He mentioned the scope of black involvement in the criminal justice system.

"You say Donald Trump undermines the justice system but it highly concerns me that you made a blanket statement that the over 400 judges of color, thousands of law enforcement officers of color, and even the new black Police Commissioner of Boston are racist," he said.

He ended the question by asking whether it was beneficial to blanketly claim the entire criminal justice system is racist.

After Warren thanked him for the question, she asked if he saw the Dillard University interview in question.

He replied that he had, but Warren said if he did, he would know she wasn't talking about any particular ‘individual.'

"I didn't call any individual anything. What I was talking about is a system that has a lot of good people in it," she said.

"[Those people] have dedicated their lives to getting out there to try to build a justice system that works and who themselves have come forward and said, ‘this system needs reform. It needs significant reform.'"

Warren, considered a top contender to potentially make a run for president in 2020, also said during the Dillard University interview that President Donald Trump made her reconsider running for president, according to the Associated Press.

Facing re-election to the Senate this year, Warren did not directly address her 2020 plans. But when Richmond asked her what might have changed since she decided not to run in 2016, the senator was ready.

"Two words: Donald Trump," Warren said, before shifting to warn the audience that the November midterm vote is the immediate fight as Democrats try to break GOP control of Congress.

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/warren-confronted-town-hall-calling-u-s-criminal-justice-system-racist-front-back/feed/0Trump Slams NFL Players Again for Kneeling During Anthem: ‘Find Another Way to Protest’https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-slams-nfl-players-kneeling-anthem-find-another-protest/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-slams-nfl-players-kneeling-anthem-find-another-protest/#respondFri, 10 Aug 2018 15:01:19 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1038100President Donald Trump on Friday continued to slam NFL players' national anthem protests, recommending players "Be happy, be cool" and "Find another way to protest."

]]>President Donald Trump on Friday continued to slam NFL players' national anthem protests, recommending players "Be happy, be cool" and "Find another way to protest."

During Thursday's warmup games, several players took a knee, raised a fist, or did not take to the field while the national anthem was played, CNN reported.

"The NFL players are at it again – taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem," the president tweeted.

"Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage' at something that most of them are unable to define," he continued, although many NFL athletes have said the protests are meant to protest police brutality.

The NFL players are at it again – taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem. Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their "outrage" at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love……

Trump wrote that players should "Be happy, be cool," explaining that during the national anthem at a football game "is no place to protest."

"Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!" he said.

…..Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence declared victory in May when the NFL enacted a rule that teams would be fined if their players were on the field and failed to stand during the national anthem.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time, "This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem. Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed."

But the NFL has said it won't punish players who took part in Thursday's protests since the league shelved the policy until it reaches an agreement with the NFL Players Association.

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-slams-nfl-players-kneeling-anthem-find-another-protest/feed/0Acosta: Press Is ‘Not Supposed to Be the Story; That’s Not Why I’m out There’https://freebeacon.com/politics/acosta-press-not-supposed-story/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/acosta-press-not-supposed-story/#respondThu, 09 Aug 2018 15:40:01 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1037443The post Acosta: Press Is ‘Not Supposed to Be the Story; That’s Not Why I’m out There’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
]]>CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta appeared on "The Late Show" Wednesday night where he defended his combative style of journalism exhibited while covering the Trump White House.

"[President Trump] said ‘you're fake news,' and to me, when you insult our news organization and call us fake news, that's calling on me for a question," Acosta told host Stephen Colbert. "He refers to CNN as fake news. I look at that as he's calling on me for a question, so I am going to push back."

Acosta said journalists have to correct President Donald Trump in real time and mentioned some of the more notable false statements Trump has told during his presidency, citing the president's claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him at Trump Tower and his claim that millions of undocumented immigrants voted in the 2016 election.

"The foundation of [Trump's] political career was built on a lie that Barack Obama was not born in this country," Acosta said. "So listen, you know these are tough times. There are some real tough questions to be asked. But I don't, I don't think we do ourselves any good, Stephen, if we shy away from these hard questions."

"My goodness, the way I look at it is–and this is the debate I have with my fellow journalists when we talk about this–what if we just did nothing? Do we just sit back and do nothing in the face of that?" Acosta said.

Acosta said based on his talks with Trump supporters, they're well-intentioned and really care about the country.

He said they ask him why the press doesn't report good things Trump is doing for the country and he tells them the media does report more than negative stories.

"A lot of these folks get their impression of what we do by watching other conservative outlets," he said.

The White House reporter said Trump's supporters are more focused on the coverage of the president's behavior than the president's actual behavior.

Colbert asked Acosta if he worried the president points to the press so much that the media becomes the story, noting "that's not really the goal of your journalism."

"Right, and we're not supposed to be the story; that's not why I'm out there," Acosta said. "I get accused of that from time to time. And my attitude is, listen, I'm allowed to care about this country just as much as anybody else."

He then attacked Trump for "demonizing immigrants" and separating children from their parents at the border.

Wednesday night, before joining Colbert's show, Acosta tweeted he was ready to bring "#realnews" to "The Late Show."

Acosta has an ongoing contentious relationship with Trump and his administration. Trump has called him "fake news," and the reporter has pushed back on the president's assertion the press is the "enemy of the people." Acosta pressured Sanders last week over Trump's frequent criticisms of the media, asking her to publicly declare that the press was not the "enemy of the American people."

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/acosta-press-not-supposed-story/feed/0McCaskill on Kavanaugh Nomination: ‘This Is Not a Political Winner’https://freebeacon.com/politics/mccaskill-kavanaugh-nomination-not-political-winner/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/mccaskill-kavanaugh-nomination-not-political-winner/#respondWed, 08 Aug 2018 16:02:30 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1036765Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) said Wednesday morning she is going to upset a lot of people with her Supreme Court vote whether she votes to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh or not, saying the choice is "not a political winner."

]]>Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) said Wednesday morning she is going to upset a lot of people with her Supreme Court vote whether she votes to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh or not, saying the choice is "not a political winner."

The Missouri Democrat said calls and emails coming into her office are evenly split between those who want her to vote for and against Kavanaugh, Roll Callreports.

"There is no political calculation on this vote. No matter how I vote, there’s going to be a lot of people who are not going to be happy with it," McCaskill said.

McCaskill said she has to make the case to voters that she is willing to be an independent voice from her party, something she said the Republican nominee, state Attorney General Josh Hawley, will not be.

"I’ve taken some very difficult positions against my party … but I kept at it because I felt it was the right thing to do. I think that’s the big difference that people are going to see with these two candidates," she said.

On Aug. 3, minutes after Democratic leadership lifted its "boycott" on members meeting with Kavanaugh, McCaskill announced to reporters that she had scheduled a meeting with the candidate for Aug. 21.

Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitcamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) – the three Democrats who voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court last year – scheduled a meeting with Kavanaugh without getting permission from leadership.

Hawley has already announced support for Kavanaugh and is drawing attention to McCaskill's undecided vote in a state President Donald Trump won by over 18 points in 2016.

]]>The New Hampshire Democratic Party announced plans Wednesday to rename its fall fundraising dinner from the Kennedy-Clinton dinner to the Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner.

That dinner was renamed the Kennedy-Clinton dinner, named after former presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, from the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in 2016. But party activists have been pushing for another change because of controversy over past allegations of sexual harassment against Clinton, the Concord Monitorreports.

"We are proud to honor Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman revered around the world for her bold leadership and tireless efforts to create justice. She dedicated her life to helping all hard-working Americans and all those who needed a champion," New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said in a statement.

Buckley added that the new name is particularly fitting due to the state party's commitment to electing Democratic women. He pointed out that New Hampshire is the first state to elect a female legislative majority, the first woman elected governor and U.S. senator, and the first all-female all-Democratic federal delegation.

"This event will help support and elect Democrats up and down the ballot who share the same values of social and economic justice as Eleanor Roosevelt," he said.

Last November, New Hampshire GOP chair Jeanie Forrester urged state Democrats to remove Clinton's name from the dinner.

At the dinner and at a state party meeting in December, most New Hampshire Democrats, other than a few activists, did not seem enthused to change the name, but state party vice-chair Mo Baxley told the Monitor, "I do think we will" change the name of the dinner.

The name change comes amid the rise of the #MeToo movement and increased unpopularity of Clinton as a result of his affair with Monica Lewinsky and alleged sexual assaults of other women.

In 2014, Grimes ran against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) for Senate. She lost that race by over 15 points, but won re-election as Kentucky's secretary of state by just over 2 points a year later.

Grimes faces criticism from other Republicans in Kentucky, too.

Hardin County Republican Party chairwoman Kathy Sargeant said the joke was "low, even for her."

Desperate for attention, Grimes tries to make physically attacking elected officials a punchline. #FancyFarm has always been a place for lighthearted digs during political speeches and she not only missed the mark by a mile, but was low, even for her. https://t.co/poy4AsjjKw

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/kentucky-secretary-state-jokes-rand-paul-assaulted/feed/0MSNBC Contributor: U.S. Will Have a ‘Charlie Hebdo Situation’ Because of Trump’s Attacks on Mediahttps://freebeacon.com/politics/msnbc-contributor-u-s-have-charlie-hebdo-situation-because-trump-attacks-media/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/msnbc-contributor-u-s-have-charlie-hebdo-situation-because-trump-attacks-media/#respondMon, 06 Aug 2018 16:10:31 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1035487The post MSNBC Contributor: U.S. Will Have a ‘Charlie Hebdo Situation’ Because of Trump’s Attacks on Media appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
]]>An MSNBC contributor and college professor said Monday that the United States will experience a "Charlie Hebdo situation" because of President Donald Trump's attacks on the media.

Jason Johnson, a tenured journalism professor at Morgan State University and politics editor at The Root magazine, accused Trump of inciting violence against journalists and predicted his words will lead to a physical attack on the media.

"We're going to have a Charlie Hebdo situation here, without question," Johnson said, speaking to MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle and fellow network guest Bret Stephens, a New York Times columnist. "It is going to happen because of the behavior of this president."

"Please don't let that be true," Ruhle responded.

Johnson was referring to a terrorist attack in January 2015, when gunmen belonging to al Qaeda's branch in Yemen killed 12 people and injured several others after storming into the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Ruhle began the discussion about Trump's attacks on the media by referencing Stephens' latest column, titled "Trump Will Have Blood on His Hands." In his column, Stephens writes that he received a voice message from a blocked phone number that said, in part, "You're worthless, the press is the enemy of the United States people and, you know what, rather than me shoot you, I hope a Mexican and, even better yet, I hope a n— shoots you in the head, dead."

"Blood will be on [Trump's] hands the moment some whackjob thinks he is carrying out the instructions of the president and goes into a newsroom like the one behind us or the one in my news organization or yours and murders people," Stephens told Ruhle.

Ruhle said that he hopes Stephens is wrong, but "let's pretend that he isn't."

"Bret says the president will have blood on his hands. Will he? Or will the answer again be blame ‘on many sides?'" Ruhle asked, referencing the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, after which Trump said both rally supporters and those who protested against the event had "good people" among them and suggested they shared responsibility for the violence that ensured.

Johnson said Trump will not take responsibility for actions that result from his rhetoric, and neither will the Republican Party.

Stephens slammed the idea that people should take the president "seriously but not literally" since many Trump supporters take everything he says at face value.

"This is why you take a moral stand before the tragic event occurs," Stephens said.

Trump has increased his attacks on the media in recent days, tweeting Sunday that the media is the "enemy of the people" and can "cause war."

The Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it’s TRUE. I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/msnbc-contributor-u-s-have-charlie-hebdo-situation-because-trump-attacks-media/feed/0Kamala Harris: I Have a Problem With the Phrase ‘Identity Politics’https://freebeacon.com/politics/kamala-harris-problem-phrase-identity-politics/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/kamala-harris-problem-phrase-identity-politics/#respondSun, 05 Aug 2018 13:04:06 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1035277The post Kamala Harris: I Have a Problem With the Phrase ‘Identity Politics’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
]]>Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) said during a Friday speech at Netroots Nation that the phrase "identity politics" is a pejorative meant to minimize and marginalize issues that "define our identities as Americans."

Harris told the audience that "the uncomfortable truth is" that "the folks who helped build the Democratic Party and have been the backbone of the Democratic Party have not always been given equal voice in the Democratic Party. And we need to deal with that."

She referenced the media stories that credited black women with delivering Sen. Doug Jones (D., Ala.) with his special election victory in December 2017.

"But that did not just magically happen. It happened because black women have been putting in the work, going door-to-door, organizing even when the cameras were focused elsewhere. And it is time to respect that leadership," Harris said.

"The truth is we should not just be thanking women of color for electing progressive leaders," she said. "In 2018, we should be electing women of color as those leaders."

After applause, the senator said she was aware that some people would say that's identity politics.

"I have a problem, guys, with that phrase, ‘identity politics,’" Harris said. "Because let’s be clear, when people say that, it’s a pejorative. That phrase is used to divide, and it is used to distract. Its purpose is to minimize and marginalize issues that impact all of us. It is used to try and shut us up."

Harris told the audience that the phrase is raised when talking about issues around race, gender, sexual orientation, and civil rights.

"And yes, we are talking about those issues and we won't be shut up and we won't be silenced!" she said.

"We won't be silent about immigrant rights. We won't be silent about a woman's right to control her own body. We will not be silent about equal opportunity and equal justice under the law," she added.

She proclaimed that "these issues they are trying to diminish and demean are the very issues that will define our identity as Americans."

Harris forcefully embraced identity politics in a way some Democrats have not.

Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell (D.) said she is "very concerned" identity politics have hijacked the Democratic Party, and another midwest Democrat, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) warned that "we can't just care about minorities, or immigrants, or identity politics."

Former President Barack Obama rejected identity politics in a July speech where he said you can't dismiss opposing voices because they're "white" or "male."

]]>https://freebeacon.com/politics/kamala-harris-problem-phrase-identity-politics/feed/0Cory Booker on the Democratic Party: ‘We Seem to Have Lost Our Way’https://freebeacon.com/politics/cory-booker-democratic-party-lost-way/
https://freebeacon.com/politics/cory-booker-democratic-party-lost-way/#respondFri, 03 Aug 2018 21:26:50 +0000https://freebeacon.com/?p=1035118The post Cory Booker on the Democratic Party: ‘We Seem to Have Lost Our Way’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
]]>Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) said at Netroots Nation 2018 that the Democratic Party seems to have lost its connection to the people they wish to represent.

Booker's remarks came while discussing how he was inspired years ago to appreciate the importance of understanding and connecting with the people who elect him to office.

"I always say I got my B.A. from Stanford but my Ph.D on the streets of Newark," Booker told the audience to appreciative hollers.

He talked at length about Carl Sharif, an activist who became a powerful activist in the Islamic community, and the advice he gave to Booker as an aspiring politician.

"He said, ‘Cory, you need to go out. You're not going to win this election unless you go out and knock on every single door in the district and have a conversation with every single person,'" Booker recounted.

‘"You come with a lot of spirit, a lot of energy, but this city doesn't need a savior,'" Booker says Sharif told him. "‘The city needs someone who is going to connect with community, someone who is going to be an ally, someone who is going to be a partner, someone who is going to connect to folks.'"

"That's where power comes from! There are a lot of folks who have even stopped even participating in municipal elections because they don't believe their vote matters. You have got to talk to folks where they are; you have got to humble yourself at their alter, understanding, and experience," Booker said.

Booker highlighted the need for Democrats to cultivate such a connection.

"I think a lot about the Democratic Party nationally and how it seems that that connection to people – where they are, what their experiences are, their struggles, their hurt, and their pain – how we seem to have lost our way," Booker said. "What we need to be doing is reconnecting ourselves to folks where they are."

Booker added the Democratic Party is "good for nothing" if it doesn't stand up for the values and issues his grandfather believed in.

The senator's rhetoric on the Democratic Party and how it contrasts with the Republican Party have not always been consistent in recent months. In July, Booker told progressive activists to "get up in the face of some congresspeople" despite telling people earlier that Americans "need to stop the bulls–t partisanship."

The New Jersey senator's rousing Netroots speech, as well as a recent trip to Georgia to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, are continued signs to many he is weighing a 2020 presidential run.